Warner Bros. continues to chip away at its infrastructure and consumer confidence with the closure of three more studios. Also: Circana reports for Jan and Feb, a recap of GDC and developers’ feelings about the industry, a curious period for investments, a new union looks to cover the entire industry, and more.
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TIME STAMPS
- [00:03:00] - Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for January 2025
- [00:11:59] - Circana Report on U.S. Video Game Spending for February 2025
- [00:21:39] - GDC 2025 Recap
- [00:54:29] - Investment Interlude
- [01:14:23] - Quick Hits
- [01:22:11] - Labor Report
SOURCES
- Warner Bros. Shuts Down Three Game Studios, Cancels Wonder Woman Title | Bloomberg (Paywall)
- Studio Fizbin's Last Magic Trick: “Reignbreaker” | Studio Fizbin
- Layoffs at Wizards of the Coast's Skeleton Key Studio | Nassim Ait-Kaci on LinkedIn
- PlayStation Hit With More Layoffs Following Recent Game Cancellations | Kotaku
- Mountaintop is Shutting Down | Spectre Divide on Twitter
- Respawn lays off staff, cancels another unannounced game | Game Developer
- Free Range Games has Undergone Layoffs | Free Range Games on LinkedIn
- Fallout and Obsidian veterans ditch open-world game plans as team shrinks to a "skeleton crew" | Eurogamer
- Wizards of the Coast winds down Sigil VTT team | Andy Collins on LinkedIn
- Sunsetting Seekers of Skyveil | Elodie on Steam
- UVW-CWA unveiled at GDC 2025 | UVW-CWA
INVESTMENT INTERLUDE
- Emona Capital completes acquisition of UK publisher Secret Mode | Secret Mode
- Emona Capital makes investment in Blackbird Interactive | Blackbird Interactive on LinkedIn
- GTA developer Rockstar acquires Video Games Deluxe to expand into Australia | Game Developer
- Former NetEase director self-funds new studio to ensure "management protects creators" | GamesIndustry
- Tencent acquires additional shares in FromSoftware parent company, Kadokawa | GamesIndustry
- PlayStation has formed new studio Dark Outlaw Games with Call of Duty Zombies lead Jason Blundell | VGC
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